Recent heart attack, pituitary gland and loss of conciseness

[mischa]

My grandfather had a heart attack last year. I still have some concerns if Vioxx had anything to do with it as he was taking it at the time of his heart attack. When the paramedics came to take him to the hospital they also mentioned his symptoms were unusual for a heart attack. He ended up having an angioplasty that day and triple-by-pass surgery the next day. He seemed to be doing well and taking his meds regulary. When he came back up from Florida his dr felt he was doing well and took him off one of his meds. Now the dr has some concern over his pituitary gland and he needs to have an mri done. When he went in to have his blood work done before his mri last week he passed out in the drs office. This is something that he has never done before. When he awoke he had to go to the hospital to have a cardiogram and more bloodwork done. The results came back fine and when asked he said he feels fine just gets tired easily. This past Wed he went to go have his mri done(don't know any results yet) and on Sun they plan on returning back to Florida for the winter. My grandparents can be very quiet when it comes to things like this as they don't like us to worry. I'm concerned as they are getting older and the trip to Florida is long and I do not want to see anything happen to them on the way down. Is there anything I should be worried about since my grandfather likes to drive everywhere or am I just being overly cautious.

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hi Mischa,

That is a tough situation.  I think your grandfather needs to find a good internist and cardiologist where he is going.  His passing out spell was likely vasovagal since it sounds like he was having blood drawn at the time he passed out, but this should be evaluated by his doctor.  Regarding cardiac causes of passing out, if his heart function is less than 35%, he may qualify for a defibrillator.

Regardig his safety driving, I am afraid I cannot assess this his driving safety without meeting him.  That just re emphasizes the importance of finding a good doctor.

Sorry I cannot be of more help.  Good luck.

[upbeat63]

Sorry it's a bit off topic, but can you tell me what blood lab markers would show signs of a pituitary tumor? My husband had some blood work done and they said something was high which they said was a sure sign. ???

They said an MRI is the only way to know for sure, but they didn't think it was necessary yet. What? No one seems to think it is urgent.

[upbeat63]

Thanks for the information I will look into both sites. Now I kind of feel like I am the tin man and he is the scarecrow from the wizard of Oz.

Well, I supposed I should just click my heels and see if it all would just go away. hee hee.

[lmroswell]

If they are going anywhere near the West Palm Beach area of Florida, let me know.  I know of a great cardiologist and hospital.

[mischa]

They spend 6 months in the Port Charlotte area. Not sure how long it would take to drive across to West Palm Beach but any information would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure his dr here in Ontario has told him to find someone down there, but they are very tight lipped when it comes to this stuff as they don't like us to worry. Now with the hurricane possibly heading their way, I'm a little more concerned. Last year they were hit by all four storms (I think) and my grandfather upon returning back to Florida started to fix their home. When they came back to Ontario he rested for a couple of weeks before seeing the dr to make sure he would be in good condition. I know they like their independence, which I totally respect I just wish they would find a new home in maybe Arizona or Nevada. As far as I know they don't have many hurricanes, tornandos or earthquakes there and it's warm there too. Maybe if I can give them some info about drs and hospitals to see they may tell us a little more about whats going on. Thanks for your help!